Heart
by Psychic Prince
Summary: AU; One boy has always intrigued Ike ever since they became roommates. However, this boy's heart is dark, twisted, and physically and emotionally broken beyond repair... and Ike is determined to help him, no matter what the cost. IkexMarth
1. Prologue

**Hiya! Finally! I'm posting something... What, did you think I was dead? Now, just a warning, this new fanfic of mine WILL have dark themes in it. That's why it's rated 'T'. Angst. Lots of it. Okay? Also, I apologize for making this chapter so short. It's just a prologue. Without further ado, I don't own anything! Enjoy!**

* * *

_**They're** my family._

_At least, they **all** were._

_Now, they are **gone**, and I'm all alone._

* * *

Darkness. Thick, choking, everlasting darkness. Pitch black.

It was all that he could ever remember.

Silence. Heavy silence.

It was all that he could ever remember.

No. No, it wasn't all silent.

He could hear the screams of agony. They ripped and tore at his mind, and he clutched his small hands to his head, struggling to block out the horrifying noise.

"_No_!"

The image of his sister flashed before his eyes. Dead.

"_No_!"

His parents. Dead.

"_No!_"

Him. Abused.

"_Iie!_"*

Everyone that he'd ever loved. Gone. They were all gone. He was the only one left.

"_Nande?! Nande?! Nande?!_"**

Nothing no longer mattered.

"_Nande?!_"

In those moments of agony, pain, and insanity, his heart twisted.

His sweetness? Gone.

His happiness? Gone.

His smile? Gone.

His love? Gone.

His life? Gone.

He lifted his head at that moment, and smiled widely.

It was a smile filled with bitter venom.

There was no going back.

"_Iie_."

* * *

*** "Iie" is "no" in Japanese. Forgive me if it's wrong; Japanese is not my native language.**

**** "Nande" is "why" in Japanese. Again, forgive me if it's wrong.**

**So... What do you think?**

**Stay tuned for the first chapter!  
**

**Please review!**

**- Psychic**


	2. Veins

**Hiya! I'm (finally) back!**

**Here's the first official chapter! Yay!**

**Just a heads-up: I decided that there will be multiple different pairings in this. The most prominent will be IkexMarth, of course, but it'll include LinkxZelda, PitxDark Pit (Kuro), MarioxPeach... Aaand I'll just include others along the way if I feel like it.**

**Also, another heads-up: Even if "love" seems to be forming between Ike and Marth already, I didn't intend it to be that way. It's supposed to be eventually more evident in LATER chapters. Okay? :D**

**Without further ado, I don't own anything! Enjoy!**

* * *

"Probably since the day before I was born- Call it fate, but I was drowned in scorn. No one tried to be on my side, so I'd turn the other cheek."

- 'A Trillion Years and Overnight Story' by IA

* * *

Ike trudged up the stairs of the dorm, taking a deep breath of the fresh autumn air. His hands were in his pant pockets and his shoulders were slumped nonchalantly underneath the weight of two large bags that were slung across his body.

_Another uneventful year of school..._

It was not that Ike disliked school; he simply found it boring and tedious. If it weren't for his best friends, Ike didn't know how he would've made it through his first year in Nintendo.

Nintendo. It was a name known worldwide. The college only recruited those of special talent and skill. Ike didn't know how, but he got in for his first year of college. He wasn't the most brilliant student in the world, but he was talented in fencing. Very talented. He simply assumed that was how he managed to be accepted into the prestigious college of Nintendo.

Ike frowned in concentration as he struggled to remember his dorm number.

_Let's see... Dorm S.S.B., Room 2007... Why are the dorm numbers so confusing?!_

Ike muttered to himself as he passed by the plain-colored doors. "2004, 2005, 2006..."

He straightened up before the door labeled "2007" in bold, and swung one of his bags around, rummaging through it before letting out a frustrated sigh.

"Did I lose that stupid key?"he grunted in an annoyed tone.

Pressing his ear to the door, Ike strained for any noise in hopes that someone, most likely his roommate, was already inside. To his great relief, he could hear a slight shuffling noise and began to mercilessly pound on the door.

"Is anyone there?"Ike called loudly, still knocking in a very violent manner.

Suddenly, the door swung open, and Ike stumbled inside; he'd been leaning on the door when it had opened. He also bowled something – or someone – over in the process, pushing "it" to the floor in a mangled heap of clothes, disheveled hair, and bags.

When Ike's vision clearly returned, he found himself staring into a set of brilliant sapphire blue eyes veiled by glasses. The person (Ike assumed it was a girl), was struggling to take in gasps of air, trapped under Ike's weight.

"Sorry!" Ike sprang up with little difficulty and swept the girl up, gently placing her back on her feet again. He grumbled, "I didn't mean to... I mean, you opened the door so fast..."

Behind the glasses, Ike could see the girls' right eye twitch in agitation. "Next time, make sure not to lean on doors. It could kill someone with your weight."

Ike knew that by the person's icy tone, the remark was meant to be sarcastic. He decided to ignore the cutting remark, however.

"So... You're my roommate then?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Oh, well..."Ike mused, "I thought guys weren't allowed to room with girls."

By watching his roommate's expression, Ike almost thought he was going to be slapped in the face right then and there. He raised an eyebrow in confusion.

His roommate glared up at him. "I _am _a guy!"

Ike felt his stomach drop. "You... You're a... guy? As in... a real dude?"

His roommate _was _incredibly delicate in body stature, with a tiny waist and long, thin and legs. Although his eyes were behind the glasses, they were sharp and cold, staring daggers at Ike. His hair was an interesting shade of blue that was a shade darker than his eyes. The top of his head would barely brush against Ike's nose, making him have to look down to talk to his roommate. Ike noted that his clothes were baggy and his sweater was at least two sizes too big for him.

"What else would I be?"his roommate snorted.

Ike desperately searched for something else to talk about. He didn't need to be reminded of his mistakes.

Scratching the back of his head sheepishly, he said, "Oh, well, sorry 'bout that. My name's Ike Greil."

His roommate scowled scornfully. "Marth. Marth Lowell."

Ike crossed the room and flung his bags onto a nearby chair. "Uh, pleased to meet you?"

As he anticipated, he got no reply. Ike shrugged and flopped down on top of his bags, wincing as a hidden book jabbed at his spine.

"What are you gonna do in these three days before school officially starts?

Nintendo always required the students to arrive three days prior to the start of school. It gave Ike a great chance to become acquainted with other people and get to know the campus the previous year.

Marth was still standing where Ike had originally placed him, his eyes blank. "I'm not sure."

"You know, you could always hang out with me. I mean, we're gonna be living together for at least a year, so we should get to know each other."

Marth's gaze flickered to the floor and remained there. "No."

Ike raised his eyebrows. "It's not going to do you any good to be a loner, _Marth_."

At the mention of his name, Marth flinched and muttered, "I don't think that's a good idea... for me to 'hang out' with you and your friends..."

Ike raised his chin and gave his roommate a demanding stare. "Why not?"

Marth shuffled his feet nervously, his gaze still fixated at the ground. "I... I'm not sure."

"Aw, come on-"

"But I've never interacted with people much! I don't know how I'm supposed to deal with a crowd like that,"Marth insisted, his eyes widening.

For a moment, Ike could see fear flash in his roommate's eyes before it hardened into stoniness. He shrugged, as if giving up the conversation. Craning his head to peer into an open door nearby, Ike could see a small room with two small beds pushed against one wall.

"This dorm is pretty cool; there's even a kitchen!"Ike remarked, standing up and picking his bags up. Again, no reply came from Marth, but by that time, Ike was getting used to it.

Nintendo's dorms weren't anything special. The dorm was simply decorated with a small dining table with chairs, a small couch, and a few shelves for storage space. There was indeed a kitchen with a stove, oven, sink, and refrigerator. At one corner of the room, there were two doors; one led to the tiny bedroom and the other led to a room that seemed to be the bathroom.

Ike strode into the bedroom, and he flung his bags onto the bed nearest to the door and flopped onto the sheets, his feet dangling from the edge of the bed. Letting out a loud sigh, Ike stared up at the plain-colored ceiling until he heard a small noise of slight frustration from Marth.

Ike instantly stood and was soon looming over Marth quietly, watching his roommate fumble over the doorknob of the bathroom. Marth didn't notice Ike's sudden presence; he was too preoccupied with the lock on the bathroom door.

"Stupid door has no lock,"he hissed to himself, "There goes my privacy."

"We're both guys, so it should be okay... At least, I don't mind,"Ike purred into Marth's ear.

Instantly, Marth let out a shriek and shuddered, slowly turning around. His eyes were wide and his glasses were slipping down his nose.

"D-Don't say it like that, y-you pervert!"

Ike straightened up and frowned mockingly. "You barely know me, and yet you're calling me a pervert?"

The corner of Marth's mouth twitched in agitation. He cleared his voice and looked up at Ike with obvious disgust, his fingers tapping on the doorknob in a staccato manner.

"If you don't want me calling you such things, then don't whisper into my ear or say weird things!"

Ike smirked and shrugged. "Sure then. Seems legit."

He continued his facade of nonchalantness until later that day. Marth was going to step out for some air and Ike hurriedly grabbed his phone and scrambled to write:

_Meet up at the courtyard._

* * *

"I don't know, Link. How am I supposed to live with a guy like that?"

Ike lay sprawled out on the grassy ground of the courtyard, staring up at the blue sky. His good friend, Link, sat cross-legged next to him, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

"Eh. He seems like a handful."

"I guess so..."

Link turned to Ike and stared at him seriously. "Don't lie to me, Ike. Best friends don't lie."

Link was had incredible accuracy for archery, and the accuracy of his fencing moves weren't anything to joke about. Although he was Ike's best friend, he could be a handful at times. Link had an OCD, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, for lying. He _hated _liars, and constantly demanded whether statements were true or false. It was no wonder Link panicked during true or false questions on tests, and so he refrained from playing "Truth or Dare" as well.

"I'm not lying,"Ike reassured Link, who gave him an uneasy look before pointing across the courtyard.

"Hey, look. There's a new girl over there. She's pretty hot, don't you think?"Link observed vaguely.

Ike snorted and sat up. "Zelda would murder you in the most painful of ways if she heard you."

Shaking his head, Ike followed Link's line of vision... And lo and behold, there stood Marth, frantically searching the ground for something.

Gulping, Ike muttered, "Link. That's my roommate, Marth. And I've changed my mind. _Marth _would murder you in the most agonizing way possible if he heard you."

Link looked impressed. "Really? Well, no use just sitting here! I'm going to introduce myself."

Before Ike could object, Link was already striding towards Marth, who still appeared frantically confused. He let out a resigned sigh and trotted behind Link.

"Hey there! My name's Link, and I'm Ike's friend! Let's be friends too, okay?"Link said to Marth, who looked up in surprise.

Marth seemed to shake off his sudden shock and began feeling around the ground again desperately.

"Uh, Marth?"Ike said hesitantly.

"Nani?"*his roommate hissed irritably, lifting his head towards Ike's voice. He noted that Marth's glasses were missing from his face.

"_What_?"

Link sniggered. "Ike, you idiot. He's talking in Japanese. Fact?"

Marth only nodded, his fingers hesitantly scanning the ground.

"Looking for something?"Ike inquired curiously.

"Hai."**

"Are these the ones?"Link asked, picking up pieces something from the ground. "They're broken, right?"

What remained of Marth's glasses was scattered in a sad pile of bits of glass and wire. Ike bent down and took Marth by the arm, bringing him to his feet.

"Marth, someone must've stepped on your glasses,"Ike informed him, "How'd you lose them?"

Marth appeared to be frustrated. "I dropped them."

"Are you telling the truth?" Link scowled and stood up, the glass bits know balancing in his open palm.

Ike's roommate nodded in irritation. "My eyesight is very bad. Without my glasses, I cannot see... Now I've gone and broke them. _Baka_." ***

Link shrugged. "Well then... Ike can carry you around everywhere then! Should be no problem, considering his strength and your apparent shrimp-like stature."

Marth slowly turned towards Link. "_What_ did you call me?"

"A shri-"

Ike quickly interrupted by hastily sweeping Marth up and slinging him over his shoulder, scrambling towards his dorm as fast as he could. "See you later, Link!"he called over his shoulder, keeping a firm grip on Marth, who was struggling like a fish without air.

"Let me go!"Marth screeched.

"I'd rather suffer like this than have Link be murdered maliciously!" Ike continued his run, thundering up the steps and charging through the halls, passing by the doors and counting off the numbers.

_2003... 2004... 2005..._

Marth ceased his struggle for a moment. Ike managed to throw the dorm's door open and rushed inside, kicking the bedroom door open and flinging Marth onto the nearest bed. He took several steps away, breathing heavily.

"Alright then,"Marth said in a icy calm voice, "I won't murder Link in a terrible way."

"Why couldn't you tell me that sooner?!"Ike wheezed.

Marth smirked and sat up. "In that case, shall I murder you instead?"

Ike scoffed, "You're mad."

His roommate made a move to hop off of the bed... then tumbled to the floor. Ike froze, his hand creeping towards the doorknob hesitantly.

"Marth?"

"M-My glasses... Can't see."

_Thank God. He can't see anything._

"O-Oh. Right." Ike stretched a hand out to Marth, crouching down. "Need help?"

Marth huffed, "No." He swatted out with his own hand... missing his target.

"Marth, I'm behind you,"Ike said, then asked again, "Need help?"

He swung around blindly and squinted at Ike's general direction in a panicked, if not terrified, manner. "I don't need anyone's help!"

Ike protested, "But-"

"No! No one's ever tried to be on my side! Never! No one's ever tried to help me! I don't know how to handle with these situations!"Marth screamed, clutching at his own head and curling into a fetal position, his back facing towards Ike.

Panicking, Ike tried to help Marth up. "Calm down!"

"Don't touch me!"

"If you'd just-"

"No!"

"Marth-"

"_Shut up_!"

Ike finally roughly grabbed Marth and held him against his chest, despite Marth's struggles.

"Marth. Calm down."

He responded by pounding his fists against Ike's chest, hissing.

"Marth." Ike shook Marth slightly.

This time, Marth ceased his struggles and simply lay limply in Ike's arms. Cautiously, Ike released him and took him by the shoulders.

Ike opened his mouth to speak, but Marth interrupted him.

"I-Ike."

"Yeah?"

"Are you... helping me?"

"Yeah."

"It... feels nice."

Ike pulled Marth back into his chest and rested his chin on his roommate's head. "Yeah."

_I hardly know him. But I'm going to do whatever I can... to help him._

* * *

**Okay, let me just clear a few things up:  
**

*** "Nani" means "what" in Japanese.**

**** "Hai" is "yes" in Japanese.**

***** "Baka" can be translated to either "stupid" or "idiot" in Japanese. As stated in the prologue, Japanese is not my native language, so please forgive me if it's wrong...**

**Beware of weird mood swings from a tsundere Marth! Lol... **

**Also: a fun game! In the chapters, I'm going to add quotes from various animes. See if you can spot and identify who said the quote, and in which anime it's from! There IS a quote from an anime in this chapter! :D**

**Please review!**

**- Psychic**


	3. Left Ventricle

**Hiya! I'm sorry that I haven't been updating, but I was really busy...**

**Anyways, the anime quote from the last chapter was: "I don't know how I'm supposed to deal with _insert subject here_!" This quote is from the anime _Soul Eater_, and is often said by Crona.  
**

**Again, I'm sorry for the late update.**

**I don't own anything. Enjoy!**

* * *

Ike groaned as he blinked the sleep away from his eyes. Slowly, he sat up and looked around, his eyes half-closed.

_Oh, right. I'm in the dorm now._

He looked to his left, and his eyes widened. There was Marth, already wide awake, sitting on his bed with an unnerving stillness.

"Uh... Good morning?"

Marth swung his head around to squint at Ike. "Is that you, Ike?"

Ike chuckled, "Who else?"

His roommate pouted furiously and crossed his arms like a little child. "I can't see very well, okay? Why don't _you _try seeing the world in flurries of color?!"

Ike held up his hands in surrender and got up. He was about to step out of the room, then looked back. Marth was still perched upon his own bed, staring blindly ahead.

"Marth?"

"What?"

"Do you need help getting up?"

Marth stuck his nose up into the air haughtily, his arms still tightly folded. "Thanks for realizing the obvious, you idiot."

"I'll just have to get used to your sharp tongue,"Ike sighed dramatically as he took Marth by the arm and guided him towards the bathroom. There, he promptly gave Marth his toothbrush. "Let's just get ready, okay?"

Marth turned away without another word.

* * *

The morning was passing quickly, and Ike had never felt so... burdened.

First off, when he'd tried to make breakfast with some groceries he'd bought the previous day (and nearly burned the dorm down in the process), Marth took one smell of the food and rushed off to retch inside of the sink (thank God he managed to find it). Ike immediately promised Marth, who was furious, that he'd never try to cook again and leave the cooking to Marth.

Then, Marth nearly killed himself... going out the door. He'd tried to walk out by himself, and knocked down a lamp, stepped on a runaway pencil, and smashed his face into the wall several times... all while going in the _opposite _direction that he intended to go. Marth finally had to admit that he needed help and had Ike guide him outside.

After _that_, Ike went to say hello to Link, and told Marth to stay put. He should've known that his roommate would _never _listen to him, and wound up finding Marth, who was dripping wet, inside of the school fountain. Link had to help him drag the waterlogged student out of the fountain and back up to his dorm to find a new set of clothes. When Ike asked about the incident, Marth simply stated that he'd been trying to find his way around and fell into the fountain accidentally.

Link chuckled as Ike struggled to get Marth out of the dorm once again. "You know, you could just get some new glasses or contacts."

Ike perked up at the suggestion. "Yeah, why don't you?"he asked.

"I don't have the money,"Marth growled irritably.

"I'll happily pay, as long as I can stop being your guide,"Ike retorted.

"I don't want to take your money."

"Just do it."

Marth swung his head around towards Ike's voice. "No. I don't want you doing nice things for me. I'll feel indebted towards you, and I have nothing to pay you back with."

The trio was silent after that as they made their way down to the courtyard, which was filled with chattering students by that time. Everything was relatively peaceful, until a shriek shattered the air.

Ike stiffened as he recognized the voice. _Oh crud._

"Oh my _gosh_! That's got to be the cutest thing I've ever seen!"

Bracing himself, Ike slowly turned around towards the speaker with Marth holding on to his sweater from behind. "Hey, Peach. Long time no see."

The energetic young woman giggled, waving her small hand in greeting. "Oh, Ike, you cutie. It _has _been way too long, hasn't it?"

Link peered at her, grinning. "Still as pink as ever."

Peach winked. "My favorite color!"

"What brings you here... with so much noise?"

"To see _him_,"Peach said, looking around Ike to point at Marth.

Ike gave her an impressed look. "How did you know Marth was a guy? Link and I were both fooled."

In response, Marth kicked the back of Ike's leg indignantly. "Shut up."

"_Oooh_, we've got a fighter!" Peach sighed happily, "He's so bishie!"

Ike glanced behind him to gaze seriously at Marth. "Beware of the otaku,"he hissed, and Marth nodded in understanding.

Peach frowned, and Link nervously asked, "Peach? What's wrong?"

"What is he wearing?!"

Marth momentarily let go of Ike, counting with his fingers as he listed off his articles of clothing. "A sweater, pants, socks, and sneakers. Let's not forget my underwear with sushi patterns."

"It must be the underwear,"Ike snickered, and stepped away before he could get seriously injured by Marth.

Peach snorted, "Nothing matches, and it's basically all tatters!"

"I'm fine. I'll be wearing the school uniform anyways during school,"Marth snapped as he waved his arms around, trying to locate Ike again.

Link crossed his arms. "Peach is right. Plus, you're completely blind without your glasses now, and need contacts, true?"

Grudgingly, Marth muttered, "True. I don't wanna keep hanging on to Ike like a little baby."

"Well, why don't you go _buy something_?"Ike said pointedly, "I don't mind paying for them."

"Over my dead body!"

Link could only let out a resigned sigh, his fingers twitching erratically. "Just be honest. You need those clothes."

* * *

"Ike."

"What?"

"How long has he been like that?"

Ike tore his gaze away from watching other students interacting with each other. He and Marth were benched, mainly because of Marth's stubbornness and lack of vision.

"Who?"

Marth gazed sightlessly ahead, his eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Link."

"Link? He's had an honesty issue for as long as I can remember,"Ike grunted, turning his head away again.

"Oh."

"Yeah,"Ike said, "I remember when I first met him. It was in junior high, and I was just in one of his classes. We were in the same history class, and when we all introduced ourselves, Link said that he had an OCD. None of us really believed him, until the teacher gave us a simple quiz the next day."

For once, Marth looked interested. "Go on."

"Well, it didn't go well. You see, the very first question was a true or false question... and Link totally flipped. He went all rigid and started to sweat. I'd never seen anything like it. I could tell that he was having a hard time, especially with his pencil shaking in his hand like that. I decided to ignore it, though. After about ten minutes, I looked at Link again, and he was still on the same question! Finally, as the teacher was going to collect the quizzes, he just passed out. I think he might've thought a little too hard,"Ike mused. "Why'd you ask?"

Marth shrugged, his eyes returning to its original, soulless look. "I guess I've never seen someone like that before."

"Hah, yeah, Link's pretty bizarre sometimes."

"And Peach?"

Ike smiled, thinking about the energetic young woman. "Oh yeah, Peach has been around for a long time. It seems like she knows everybody, and whenever someone meets her, they instantly want to be her friend. She loves anime for some reason, and the color pink. Peach is a little crazy too, but it's the good kind of crazy, if you know what I mean. She just wants the best for everyone, you know?"

"I see. She certainly gave _me _a good impression, telling me that I was _bishie_ and my clothes were ruined."

In response, Ike waved his hand dismissively. "She doesn't really mean it; sometimes Peach doesn't think before she speaks, that's all."

To his surprise, Ike could see the stoney look in Marth's eyes soften slightly. "I see,"he murmured. "Wanting the best for everyone, huh. Reminds me of Elice."

Ike laughed and said teasingly, "Who's Elice? Your secret girlfriend?"

Marth turned his head slowly, and the look in his eyes caused Ike's own heart to stiffen in horror for a split second. In his clouded eyes, there was a wild fury... and a deep, soul-piercing agony.

"Elice?"Marth croaked, "Elice. My sister? My sister. Dead?" He stood up suddenly, and made an attempt to grab at Ike, violently pulling at his sweater and lifting him up slightly.

"Marth?"

"SHE'S DEAD! SHE'S DEAD, IKE!"Marth screamed, shaking Ike about like a rag doll, "DEAD! THEY'RE ALL DEAD!"

He kept repeating his words, shaking Ike like a madman, and kept doing so until his words faded into an insane laughter before he slumped into Ike's arms, completely unconscious.

Ike didn't notice Link and a few other students cautiously inch towards him, until Link spoke up.

"Ike? Is... he okay?"

"Oh, um, yeah!"Ike reassured them with a false cheerfulness, "He just was thinking of... um... joining the drama team this year, and was, er, practicing, that's all!"

The other students looked relieved, and began to go away, but Link remained where he was. He kneeled down beside Marth, and gave Ike a stern look.

"Ike,"he said quietly, "Do you remember when we first met? You promised that you'd never lie to me, right?"

* * *

Ike sat dejectedly beside Marth's bed on a small stool, watching his roommate's chest rise and fall steadily as he slept.

_Oh, Marth. What's wrong with you?_

He buried his face in his hands and let out a deep, distressed sigh.

_I'm already having problems, and school hasn't even started yet._

Ike rose when a knock sounded at the door, and was surprised to see Peach there. "Oh, er, come in, Peach."

"Thanks,"she chirped.

"Uh, Peach?"

"Hmm?"

"What's with all the bags?" Ike pointed at the large bags that she was carrying.

Peach smiled. "Clothes. I went shopping with Zelda, and thought of Marth. I got him some contacts too."

Ike raised his eyebrows. "How'd you get his prescription?"

"Oh, Link had his broken glasses, and I took them to show to the optometrist and got the prescription."

"That's... actually pretty smart,"Ike commented.

Peach laughed in her usual way; it sounded like the tinkling of many small, silver bells. "Of course! Who do you think I am?"

Ike let out a small chuckle, and led the way into the bedroom. "He's sleeping."

Peach made her way over to Marth and placed the bags at the foot of the bed. "It's better that way. He'd throw a tantrum if he knew I bought these for him." She straightened up, and imitated Marth in a light tone, "'But I don't have anything to pay you back with! Absolutely not! I'll die before I receive these!'"

"Sounds just like him,"Ike said dryly.

His friend giggled again, and made her way towards the door. "Take good care of him dear."

Mockingly, Ike scoffed as Peach left, "You're not my mother!"

* * *

"_Marth... my brother... Be strong."_

Marth shot up in his bed, his eyes wide and his breath heavy. Realizing that he was dreaming, he covered his face with his hands and took a deep breath.

When he opened his eyes again, he still couldn't see very well. All he could see ahead of him were a few boxes of color. Marth did notice a blur of blue at the edge of his vision, and as he squinted, he realized that it must've been Ike.

His roommate appeared as if he was sitting on a stool and had fallen asleep, letting his head rest on Marth's bed. Judging by the atmosphere of the dark room, Ike appeared to be in momentary peace.

Marth stretched out a hand to touch Ike's hair, then recoiled. He sunk back under the covers, and turned away from Ike, clutching his pillow as he let out a small, dry sob.

* * *

**Jeez... I had a hard time with Marth's character. I mean, I wanted him to be reserved, mysterious, and a little emotionally scarred, but not too OOC, if you know what I mean. Gah, just shoot me now. DX**

**With Link's OCD, I also had troubles writing his character... I did a little research on OCD's, and it's freaking hard to make him obsessed and not make him too OOC. T-T**

**There's another quote in this chapter! It's probably gonna be more obvious in this chapter than in the last chapter... and this time, the quote's not really from an anime; it's from a game.**

**Please review!**

**- Psychic**


	4. Right Ventricle

**Hiya! Wow... It's been forever. I took wayyyy too long. T-T I was just really busy and had a terrible writer's block, but hey, I'm back! I'm sorry that I didn't update sooner...**

**The quote on the last chapter was: _"Marth... my brother... Be strong." _- Elice from _Fire Emblem_  
**

**Without further ado, I don't own anything!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Ike's neck and back cracked dangerously as he eased himself up into a normal sitting position. He squinted at the darkly-lit bedroom before realizing that he must've fallen asleep while caring for his roommate.

"Speaking of which, where is that lunati- I mean, my roommate?"Ike grumbled as he stood, flipping the covers over to reveal an empty bed.

A familiar voice came from behind him, sounding none too pleased. "Looks like Sleeping Beauty finally decided to awaken."

Ike whipped around to snap a sharp retort back, but stopped, his mouth hanging wide open.

Marth stood at the doorway, light flooding in behind him from the hall. His eyes were clear and somehow seemed like they were glowing in the shadows, and his arms were folded across his chest. He wore a dark gray shirt that gave Ike a good view of Marth's collarbone (not that he minded, anyway), and jeans that accentuated his slender legs. Leave it to Peach to choose an outfit that would fit Marth so perfectly.

"What?" Marth followed Ike's gaze to his own body, then hugged his torso and turned away, as if he was aware of what thoughts might be going through his roommate's mind. "Stop staring at me. I mean it."

Ike tore his gaze away and shrugged. "Peach knows her stuff, I'll give her that." Raising his eyebrows, Ike added, "You look good."

"W-Whatever, idiot!"Marth snapped, his cheeks dusting a slight pink, "I made lunch, so just come out and make yourself presentable!"

Yawning, Ike nodded, then froze. As Marth left, he glanced at a clock beside him.

_1:05 PM. Have I really been sleeping for that long? I must've been more tired than I thought._

Ike ran a hand through his tousled hair and stretched, smoothing out the wrinkles in his clothes before stepping into the main room. He blinked rapidly at the sudden brightness, then made his way towards the small table, were Marth was setting out bowls of rice.

"What am I, your wife?"his roommate complained as he set down a pair of chopsticks, "You should do your fair share of work too!"

Ike sat down, then grunted, "You're the one who told me not to cook ever again, remember? After that first incident the other day when I cooked and you began throwing up like a pregnant woman."

"S-Shut up! I did no such thing!"

"Whatever you say, Princess."

* * *

"Don't you think that's a little too much caffeine?" Marth glared at Ike over his cup of tea challengingly.

Taking a sip of his coffee, Ike retorted, "Don't you think that's too much sugar?" He gestured to the little mountain of sugar packs next to Marth's cup of tea.

Marth sniffed in contempt. "No way."

A gust of wind blew through the small cafe that they were sitting in, and white feather somehow wound up in Marth's tea. He sat and stared at his cup for a moment before letting out a frustrated sigh.

"What the _hell _was that?!"he hissed, slamming his hands down on the table, "Who the hell got a feather in my tea?!"

"Probably me,"said a sheepish voice, "Sorry 'bout that, mister."

Another voice snapped, "You don't have to be all formal, Pit!"

Ike looked up and grinned. "Yo. Pit, Kuro, long time no see!"

He stood up as the small person threw his arms around him. Marth could only gape at the person who'd ruined his drink – a petite brunet with _wings_. He was clad in all white, and wore a bright smile on his face.

"Ike! It's been way too long!"the boy, Pit, said enthusiastically.

The other man behind him snorted. "Not long enough for me,"he grumbled.

"It's nice to see you too, Kuro,"Ike replied, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Kuro's red-violet eyes flashed (how the hell were they wine-colored?!), and the breeze ruffled his tousled black hair as he fluttered his dark wings. When he first met the duo, Ike thought Kuro and Pit were twins; after all, they looked exactly the same, save for the obvious color and personality differences.

But apparently that wasn't the case. Ike still didn't know the reason why they looked so identical, although they weren't even distinctly related.

Marth looked at Pit and finally said, "You have wings."

"Yeah! Isn't it great?!"

"... _Why_?"

Kuro snapped edgily, "We were just _born _this way."

Inwardly, Ike sighed. He had a strange gut feeling that Marth and Kuro would not get along very well, as they both possessed negative personalities. Things could either go really well, or really badly.

Ike decided to be prepared for the worst, in any case. One couldn't be too sure with Marth _and _Kuro around.

* * *

Ike paced around his room, itching for something to do. The day before the start of school was always boring for him, and he desperately needed to get up and about. Not to mention Marth had disappeared, leaving him alone.

_I'm just gonna take a shower then. There's nothing better to do anyways._

He gathered up a plain shirt, shorts, a towel, and clean underwear before walking towards the bathroom. As he turned the doorknob, Ike didn't notice the sound of water running behind the door.

Ike was greeted with an unexpected sight – Marth coming out of the shower and reaching for a towel, his hair dripping wet. He gaped in shock, just staring at his startled roommate with his eyes wide.

He could only form one coherent thought at the moment: _God, is that a scar? _There was a small, pale white line running across Marth's torso, but that was the least of Ike's concern. He was shocked that he'd run into Marth _showering _and _naked_, but he was even more astounded at himself for thinking that Marth actually looked _attractive_, with water dripping from his slender figure.

Ike didn't have that much time to think, because in that split second, Marth let out a loud shriek and leaped forward at Ike, his fist connecting with his face as he cried, "Don't look!"

And then Ike's world went black.

* * *

_Where am I? What happened?_

Groaning, Ike slowly opened his eyes to see Marth leaning over him, looking slightly concerned.

"You're awake. Finally,"Marth sighed, sitting down on Ike's bed.

"What happened?"Ike moaned, raising a hand to massage away the pounding in his head. It felt like a ton of bricks had crashed over his skull.

Looking at his hands, Marth grumbled, "Well, you were being such a pervert, invading my space and all, and so I – er – punched you in the face."

Ike sat up and glared at his roommate. "Why the hell would you do that?!"

"Because you were staring at me! I could practically see you thinking weird things, you dirty-minded creep! I knew I should've gotten that lock fixed before..."

"I was not!"

"Yes, you were!"

"I was just looking at your scar, that's all!"Ike said defensively, and Marth stiffened, a hand reaching towards his torso self-consciously. "What is that scar anyways?"

"It's nothing! There is no scar!"Marth snapped back, his eyes flashing.

Ike leaned towards Marth. "You're lying. Show it to me."

"No! There's nothing!"

"Show me."

"You can kiss my butt before that happens!"

By that time, Ike was practically on top of Marth. "Shall I?"he growled insistently.

"You're insane!"

"Sanity? I don't remember having such a useless thing in the first place."

Marth's eyes widened, and he wriggled away, stumbling towards the exit. "You and your stupid persistence!"

Ike let out a sigh of frustration – but his curiosity and sense of pride was getting to him. He chased Marth down and stopped him in front of the main door to prevent him from escaping the dorm.

"Last chance; Do you wanna to this the hard way or the easy way?"

"I choose 'no way'!"Marth snapped back, reaching for the doorknob.

Ike grabbed his wrist and flung Marth to the floor, holding him there. "You just got me curious with all of your refusals,"he complained irritably, climbing over his roommate to straddle him.

"Ike Greil, if you don't get off right n- GET YOUR HANDS OUT OF MY SHIRT!"

Ignoring Marth's screeching, Ike lifted his shirt just enough so that he could see the pale line on his torso again. "See? Now, fess up. Come on then."

"Just go away- agh! STOP." Marth struggled in vain, his face turning a glowing red as Ike curiously ran a finger over the disfiguring mark on his body. "S-Stop..."he whimpered softly, much to Ike's surprise, "Just stop... Otherwise, we're gonna have a proble-"

Suddenly, the front door swung open, and Kuro stepped in, saying, "Yo, Ike, you left your freaking wallet at the cafe, not to mention I heard shrieking in here – Oh. Was I interrupting something?"

Marth glared up at Kuro. "No! It's not what it looks like!"

"Lame excuse."

"It's not!"Marth cried desperately, "Ike tell him what's going on, you idiot!"

Ike sat up, and grinned impishly. "Oh, we were just _having fun_. I'm just a little too curious for my own good, aren't I, Marth?"

At this, Marth made a violent motion to sit up, pushing Ike away. "He's lying!"

Link chose this perfect opportunity to show up with Pit and Peach, and they looked at Marth sceptically.

"Who's lying?"Link asked suspiciously.

* * *

Marth perched on his bed facing Ike, who was sitting across from him on his own bed. Ike had managed to force their friends out of the dorm and lock the door on them (which, unfortunately, left Marth with no escape).

"Marth,"Ike said quietly, his voice surprisingly gentle, "If you don't wanna tell me, it's okay. I just let my curiosity get in the way of my self-control. I'm sorry."

Letting in a shaky breath, Marth grumbled, "I – It's alright, I suppose. I shouldn't have refused in the first place. It's not that big of a secret, anyways. My pride just got in my way."

Ike grinned and held out his arms for a hug, but Marth shrank away and spat, "Don't touch me. Just because I forgave you doesn't mean I forgot about what you just did to my body – Trying to molest me, I swear..."

"I was not!"

At that moment, a ringing sound escaped from Ike's pocket. Marth waited patiently as he fumbled around, eventually pulling out his cell phone. He let out a groan, then tossed the phone onto his pillow lightly, burying his face in his hands.

"What?" Marth reached over and grabbed Ike's cell phone, only to gasp. On the screen was a picture of Ike straddling him, his hand reaching up his shirt. To his embarrassment, Marth's face was a bright red.

Then he glanced at the sender's name: _Peach Toadstool_.

As Marth stared, dumbfounded, at Ike's phone, Ike groaned, "Peach and her stupid yaoi fantasies!"

"How do you know what that even is?"

"Peach gave all of us a clear talk about it,"Ike said glumly, slouching.

"Ah."

Suddenly, Ike stood up, startling Marth a little bit. He said firmly, "I want to be friends with you. I want to know everything about you."

"Oh, so is that your motive for trying to be friends?"Marth sniffed, but he faltered a bit, "Well, I don't know anything about you either, so it's not fair-"

Once again, Ike startled Marth as he said loudly, "My name is Ike Greil. I'm twenty years old, turning twenty-one on August 7th. I have a mom, dad, and a sister named Mist. I love video games and was the captain of the school's fencing team in high school and last year. My favorite color is blue, and I like dogs better than cats. My favorite food is – well, I love all foods, and I have no foods that I hate. I'm majoring in literature because I love books. I plan to become an editor and-"

Marth held up his hand in a motion for him to stop. "That's... a lot of things for me to remember..."

"I could go on and on, but I wanna hear your side of the story now."

Rolling his eyes, Marth said in a sudden, bitter tone, "My name is Marth Lowell. I am nineteen years old, turning twenty on April 4th. I have no known living relatives. I enjoy reading books and used to fence before I could no longer afford it. My favorite color is blue, and I like cats. I love sushi and hate mushrooms. I got a scholarship here and am not quite sure of my future."

Ike's eyes widened as he sat down beside Marth. "Marth, what-"

Marth cleared his throat, and he refused to make eye contact with Ike.

Softly, he said, "Once upon a time, there was a young boy who had everything any boy could ever ask for – a safe home with a loving family. Because of this tender upbringing, he too was gentle and naïve, and didn't know what the world was really like. How terrible it could be.

"One night, on his eighth birthday, his family was murdered. His sister, who cared deeply for him and loved him, screamed at him to run and pushed him out of the second-story window as the murderer approached. As he fell, his torso was cut by a jagged edge on the windowsill, and he somehow managed to drag himself away. An orphanage took him in, and although the caretakers were kind enough, his companions weren't.

"They called him names and bullied him. They called him queer and told him that he was an idiot, a worthless jerk that would never get anywhere and never be loved again. Over time, he came to believe what the other kids said. By the time he turned ten, he'd forgotten what love felt like. He was cruel and dishonest and hateful, and so no adult ever dared to be near him. Even if he did have a beautiful exterior, his heart was dark and ugly. Nobody wanted him.

"He finally grew old enough to care for himself, and ran away. He wanted to study, and did so, camping out in the local library and hiding in the closets at closing times to sleep there. The boy managed to get his hands on a college application, and was given a scholarship to the University of Nintendo for his second year. He thought that he'd just scrape by and make it through the year, but those thoughts vanished when he met his roommate – a wild, innocent young man with a slightly rugged exterior but a kind interior. And the boy hated that this man was so good, so easy-going... And yet, he felt that maybe, just maybe, his life could take a turn."

Marth folded his hands and let out a deep sigh. "And that's another story, yet to be continued."

He looked up and jumped back slightly as Ike stared deeply at him, his eyes wide. Finally, Ike suddenly leaped forward and wrapped his arms tightly around Marth's skinny body, his breathless sobs evident.

"Ike – are you crying?"

"No,"came the muffled reply, "I just have an eyelash in my eye, that's all."

"Ike, I-"

Ike took Marth by the shoulders and pulled away momentarily, his eyes red. "Marth, I promise you this: I'm going to protect you always from now on. You won't be alone anymore, you won't be rejected. Because no matter what everyone else says or does, _I'll _always care for you, do you understand?"

Marth scoffed, "I don't need your help."

_Damn. My voice just cracked._

Ike ignored his roommate's protests and pulled him back into a tight hug.

And, slowly, Marth hugged him back.

_Just this once._

* * *

**Ahh, I felt really weird writing this chapter... *shot*  
**

**Anyways, sorry again for the late update...**

**Noooo I'm getting deeper into OOC territory. DX**

**Please review!**

**- Psychic**


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